The USB 3.0-connected Kingston Data Traveller Hyper X 3.0 is much faster than a standard USB 2.0 memory stick, and is a good portable storage option for people who simply want a light, portable backup drive that you can carry around in your pocket. See all storage reviews.

Flash memory devices often use cheaper, slower memory chips than more expensive SSD drives, but the 64GB version of the Hyper X 3.0 tested here is the same size as the solid-state drive included with the entry-level MacBook Air so it's certainly worth considering as an affordable back-up option for laptops with limited storage.

The Kingston Data Traveller Hyper X 3.0 is competitively priced at less than £85 for 64GB, with 128GB and 256GB models also available for about £150 and £365 each.

Kingston Data Traveller Hyper X 3.0: performance

It's by no means a poor performer, either, beating lots of external SSDs in most of our tests.

That said, performance results were rather mixed, with write speeds being relatively poor. With the larger video files used by Aja System Test, the Hyper X 3.0 produced a modest write speed of 55.8MB/s. It's probably not the best choice for serious video-editing, although that's only to be expected from a drive in this price range. Its performance picked up a bit with smaller file sizes, increasing to 75.5MB/s. That's still way behind the performance of the LaCie Rugged drive when using its USB 3.0 interface, but the compact, pocket-size design of the Hyper X 3.0 will still appeal to many people.

The memory stick design means that the Kingston Data Traveller Hyper X 3.0 is small and light. It weighs just 20g and is a mere 75mm long, so you could easily slip it into your shirt pocket when you need to take your laptop into a meeting with you. And, of course, using a USB 3.0 interface also means that it's compatible with older Macs and PCs that rely on USB 2.0, while still providing superior performance over USB 3.0.

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